Buttonhole-sewing machine.



E. I. RAY

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13. 1915.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. J RAY.

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON rsuan 95013.1915.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

3 SHEETS-$HEET 2.

EUGENE J. BAY, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, A-SSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF ivnw JERSEY.

BUTTONI-IOLE-SEWING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 13,1915. Serial No. 66,531.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, EUGENE J. RAY,,a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State.

clamp and sewing mechanism are relatively movable to form overseam stitches along the sides and about the ends of a buttonhole.

The object of the invention is to improve and simplify the clamp closing and clamp opening mechanism of machines of this type, and to that end the invention com prises the features of construction and 00m binations of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims, the advantages of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the preferred form of the invention.

The invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the mechanism illustrated therein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation showing so much of a buttonhole sewing machine as is necessary to illustrate the application of the present improvements thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the work holding clamps and the upper face of the main cam carrying gear disk; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the work holding clamps showing the clamps in closed position; Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the parts as the clamps are opening; and Fig. 5 is a detail showing the cam for closing the clamps.

The inventionis shown as embodied in a buttonhole sewing machine having the general construction and mode of operation of the machine shown and described in Patent eccentrically mounted in a reciprocating needle bar 8 carried in a rotary head 10. The under needle and looper are mounted in a rotary turret 12. The turret and head are rotated through a single revolution during the'sewing of a buttonhole from a gear 14 which makes a single revolution during the sewlng, and is connected with the turret and head through mechanism fully described in the patent above referred to. The buttonhole slit is out prior to the sewing by a cutter 16 carried by a cutter lever 18 which is operated by a cam 20 secured to the upper face of the cam carrying gear disk 22. The work holder comprises upper and lower clamping members mounted upon a carrier'24 which is moved lengthwise of the buttonhole to move the work between the clamping and cutting and the sewing positions, and to feed the work during the sewing by a cam groove formed in the under face of the cam disk 22 and engaging a roll carried by a stud 26 on the carrier. The

stud passes through a fulcrum block 28 ar:

ranged to slide in a guideway formed in the base plate of the machine, and the carrier is moved laterally during the sewing about the eye and end of the buttonhole by a cam formed in the'upper face of the gear 14 and engaging one end of a lever 30, the other end of which is pivotally connected to a block 32 mounted in a slot in the rear end of the carrier.

In the construction shown, the work clamping members comprise the work supporting plates 34 provided with the lower clamping blocks 86 and upper clamping jaws 38 pivoted to the ends of the clamp carrying arms 40. The clamp carrying arms are pivotally supported in blocks 42 adj'ustably secured in the plates 34, and are forced upward by springs 44. The means for closing" the clamp comprises a rock shaft 46 mounted in bearings 48 on the carrier 24, and providedwith flat spring arms 50 which are mounted to bear upon the clamp arms 40 near their forward ends. A torsional spring 52, having one end connected with one of the bearings 48 and the other end connected with the rock shaft, tends to raise the arms 50 and thus open the clamp. The rock shaft is provided with a rearwardly projecting arm 54 which is arranged to be engaged by a cam 56 on the cam carrying disk 22 when the work holder is in retracted or buttonhole cutting position. The rock shaft is also provided with a vertically projecting arm 58, the upper end of which Patented Sept. 12, 1916. r

from the cam 56 during the forward and is arranged to be engage dby a latching shoulder on the latch lever 62 when the clamp is closed; The'latch thus acts to hold the clamp in closedposition, asin'dicated in Fig. 3, after the clamp has been closed by the cam 56, and while the arm 54: is free return travel of the clamp" carrier. The latch lever is operatedto release the rock shaft and thus effect the opening of the clamp by a dog; 64 pivotedito the machine frame,'and arranged to be engaged by an upwardly" extending: arm 66 on the latch lever. The-dog 64 is'so pivoted that%duringv the forward 1 travel of-the clamp the arm 66 of the latch lever will ride idly under; the dog, swinging it up about itspivot. As soon'as the arm on' the' latch lever has passed, the dog'will swing downlnto *normalposition, and duringthe last part-of 7' a controllingsurface 7 2-formed on the latch lever back of the latchingshoulder 60 and arranged to engage the end ofthe: arm 58 when it is disengaged fromthe latch-shoulder. The two controllingrsurfaces 70 and 72 are so shaped and located with relationto-the arms 68v'and58 thatduring-fina l backward travel-of the work clamp-after the latchshoulder 60 'has been disengaged from thearm 58, the latchwlever gradually, rises, so that the clamp opening movement of the rock shaft is controlled by the engagement ofthe surface 7 2=With the arm 58, and a sudden and violent movement of the rock shaft is prevented.

While it is preferred to employ the speeific construction and arrangement of parts shownand described, in embodying the invention in the machine of the' patent abovereferred tog-it will-zbe-understood that this constructionand-arrangement is not essen tial'to the broader features of theinvention, and may bevaried or modified as found desirable or'best suited to the construction ofthe machine in which it'is tobeembodied.

Having-explained the nature and object ofthe lIIVBIltlOIlyELIld; specifically described oneform'of mechanism-inwhichit may be embodied, what is claimed is 1'. A buttonhole sewingmachine, having,

in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a clamp carrier provided with work clamping members, acontrolling rock shaft on the carrier provided with an arm, a feed cam disk, and a cam on the feed cam disk for directly engaging the arm to effect the closingof the clamping members.

2. A' buttonhole sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a clamp carrier, a feed cam disk for relatively feeding the clamp carrier and stitch forming mechanism to sew about a buttonhole, work-clamping members on the carrier, a rock shaft onthe carrier connected to close the clamping members, an arm on the rock shaft, acam on thefeed cam disk for directlyengaging the arm to effect the closing of the clamping members, and means for retaining theshaft :inclamp closing. position during" the feed.

3. A buttonhole sewing machine,-having, in-ocombination, stitch forming mechanism, a clamp carrier, a feed cam disk for relatively feeding the clamp carrier and stitch formingrmechanism to sew about a buttonhole, work clamping members'on the carrier, a clamp closingcamon the feed cam disk, a rock-shaft on the carrierconnectedto close the clamping members, an arm on the rock shaft moved out of and into the path of the clamp closing cam by therelative movement of the clamp carrier and stitch forming mechanism, and means for retaining the shaftinclamp closing position while the arm is out-of the cam path and for releasing the shaft to eifeet'the opening of the clamping members.

LA buttonhole sewing machine, having,

in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a clamp: car'rler, a CELIIl'dlSk provided -w1th' a cam for relatively feeding the stitch forming mechanism and carrier and a clamp closing! cam, clamp carrying arms plvotally ,mounted on the carrier, a rock shaft provided with arms acting on the clamp carrying arms, and a third arm on the rock shaft arranged to directly engage the clamp.

closing cam on the feed cam disk when the clamp carrier is in work receiving-position.

5. A buttonhole sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a clamp carrier provided with work clamping members, a rock shaft provided with spring arms for closing the clamping members, means for retaining the rock shaft in clamp closing position, and means for releasing the rock shaft and controlling its clamp opening movement.

6. A'buttonhole sewing machine,having,-

in combination, stitch forming mechanism, a clamp carrier provided with work clampingmembers, a rock shaft provided with spring arms for closingthe clamping members-means for retaining the rock shaft in clamp closing position, and means-for releasing and for securing a gradual clamp the closing of the clamping members, an arm opening movement of the rock shaft. on the rock shaft, a latch lever for engag- 10 7 A buttonhole sewing machine, having, ing the arm to retain the rock shaft in clamp in combination, stitch forming mechanism, closing position, and means for actuating a clamp carrier provided With Work clampthe latch lever to permit the gradual clamp ing members, a rock shaft provided With opening movement of the rock shaft.

spring arms for closing the clamping mem bers, means for rocking the shaft to effect EUGENE J. RAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

